Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said he has no connection with any terrorist organisation.
Talking to reporters during his visit to the National Press Club on Tuesday, Malik said he would not give any reply to the allegations levelled against him by former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza. He said criminal gangs were taking advantage of the ongoing tussle among political parties in Karachi, adding that the illegally-occupied 14,000 acres of land in Karachi by land mafia was the main reason behind targeted killings in the city.
He said all political parties and the revenue board was also involved in it. “I admit I have relations with the MQM because the party is part of parliament. But it is not correct to call anyone a terrorist without evidence. There should be no political scoring on the basis of accusations alone,” Malik said. The interior minister said he could not share the details of targeted killers with the media as the case was being heard in Supreme Court.
To a question, he said some al Qaeda leaders were present in Pakistan. “Al Qaeda, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Lashkar-e-Jhangwi are in contact with each other. Following the killing of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda has become enemy No 1 of Pakistan.” Malik said arrested al Qaeda leader Yunis Al-Moretani was in the custody of intelligence agencies and he was not being handed over to anyone.
“No foreign security agency had been registered in the country and it has been made clear to all diplomats to not to move to other cities without prior permission,” he said. The interior minister said he was ready to give an in-camera briefing to parliament on the situation in Karachi. “The Crime 2 criminal policy is moving ahead successfully,” he said, adding that “48 targeted killers and 28 extortionists had been arrested so far”, he said.
Malik said the security of journalists will be ensured at all costs, adding that a special cell would be set up in the Interior Ministry in this regard. “Investigation report in respect of journalist Umar Cheema has been handed over to the National Press Club,” he said, adding four people involved in eth murder of Wali Babar had been arrested and two of them could escape if their names were made public.
